Christmas is over, but not the work God has for us in the new year
By Dean Collins
It’s over.
I won’t judge you if you collapsed on the bed or your favorite chair and had that wonderful sense of accomplishment that you got through it. You managed to buy and wrap the gifts, prepare the meals, travel to see the family, accomplish your regular work , and bag up strewn wrapping paper and ribbons before saying goodbye to another Christmas Day. It always comes in a flurry and ends suddenly. And then you embrace a moment of silence.
Sadly, Jesus has been known to get lost in the shuffle and busyness of the season. The liturgical calendar designates January 6 as Epiphany, focuses on the Magi’s visit to Bethlehem, and also connects us to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Each of these events acknowledges a moment when there was a new or fresh understanding of who Jesus was and is.
Seeing more clearly
Maybe it takes the several days from December 25 to January 6 for the rush of the season to slow so we can see Jesus more clearly and determine to follow him more fully as we begin a new year. A day on the calendar may be over, but the work of Christ in our hearts and minds and expressed by our words and deeds must continue until our last breath. And even when our weak, human life is finished, our eternal journey in a new Heaven and earth will just have begun.
John records in his Gospel that after Jesus received sour wine he spoke his last words : “It is finished.” He then bowed his head and gave up his spirit. The Word who became flesh lived among us some 33 years. He was buried in a tomb for parts of three days. He was resurrected and walked the earth before his ascension. He now lives in us by his Spirit while we await his final appearance in glory.
His work . . . and ours
The work God gave his Son to do was finished. Our debt of sin was paid in full. There is no need for another blood sacrifice by a priest to cancel sin for a season. The priest and the lamb are one, and Jesus perfectly solved our greatest problem and made the perfect way for all to be restored and life to be renewed forever.
His finished work carries on in and through the lives of his followers. We can certainly rest after a busy holiday celebration. But the work of Christ in us continues until Jesus returns.
May the next few days bring you rest and peace, and may we each have a fresh understanding of the work and ministry that God has for us to do in the coming year.
Your time with God’s Word
John 19:30 ESV
Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash
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